It’s actually a bit of an ‘urban myth’ it did apply in eg Victorian Times but at other points in history there was widespread literacy.
What you do find at some times is that an elite wrote and spoke one language but everyone else wrote another. Which was a way of controlling access to information. This is one reason that the Bible was in Latin and there was subterfuge needed to get the first Bible in English. (The pages were smuggled into the country)
merde@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
can you give some sources?
FelipeFelop@feddit.uk 2 years ago
www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item101093.html#:~:te….
merde@sh.itjust.works 2 years ago
i can’t see how this supports your claim that literacy wasn’t uncommon 🤷
FelipeFelop@feddit.uk 2 years ago
That’s not what you asked for. I gave an illustration of the Bible being needed in English (which most people read) rather than Latin. So I gave you a source.